No Day but Today
by Yami no Ryu
Summary: Jack wants to have a Team Day the rest of SG1 doesn’t. The result of that Team Day is a bit unexpected. Slash JD
1. Team Day

"Okay, kids, we've got a free Saturday," Jack said, no-nonsense as they sat at a table in the commissary. "What are we going to do with it?" 

Sam protested first, "I was hoping to stay in—"

Jack waved a pie-filled fork at her while he interrupted, "No. Definitely not. Team Day."

"But, Jack," Daniel started, "SG-11 came back from—"

"Some planet and brought back some rock that you are not going to be looking at this weekend," Jack told him.

"But Jack—"

" I Team Day/I " Jack stressed.

"O'Neill, I am needed to train new recruits," Teal'c intoned.

"Wait, what? When were you going to tell me this, big guy?" Jack asked.

"You were sent a memo," Teal'c stated. Some would have said he stated it smugly, but with Teal'c it was hard to tell.

"You know I never get these memos, Teal'c," Jack complained. Daniel and Sam opened their mouths to beg off as well, but Jack cut them off, "Ah! We are still having a Team Day. You can join us for lunch, T."

Teal'c nodded imperiously.

"Teal'c, I thought Hammond asked Major Ferretti to take over for you when he gave us down-time," Carter said innocently. Teal'c's dark eyes fixed on her, but she only smiled. If they had to endure a Team Day, Teal'c had to as well. Sam wouldn't allow him to weasel out of it.

Jack narrowed his eyes at Teal'c. "He did, did he?"

Teal'c gazed at the wall behind Jack's shoulder and said nothing.

"Well, fine, if that's the way you all want it," Jack huffed, scowling. "Do whateverthehell you want."

He pushed his pie away, glared at them all, stood, and walked out of the commissary.

Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c all looked at each other. Jack hadn't even finished his pie. "Um, maybe we should…?" Daniel waved in the direction of the commissary doors. Despite their protests, they always ended up enjoying the Team Days. And Jack had clearly been looking forward to this. Sam bit the inside of her lip.

"Yeah," she agreed as Teal'c's nodded. As one, they stood, Carter finishing off the last bit of blue Jell-O from her cup, and followed Jack. They caught up with him at the elevator.

"What you do want, you Team Day destroyers?" Jack asked petulantly.

"We, ah, we wanted to suggest, um…" Daniel looked at the other two helplessly.

"Viewing a movie," Teal'c inserted.

"Yeah, going to a movie for Team Day," Daniel finished.

Jack turned to them, eyeing each one in turn, considering. "Okay. What movie?"

Sam and Daniel glanced at each other, unsure, and again Teal'c solicited, "Rent."

"You want to rent a movie?" Sam asked, scrunching her eyebrows in confusion.

"You misunderstand me, Major Carter," Teal'c clarified. "The title of the movie is 'Rent'."

"Ah, I've heard of that," Daniel realized. "Wasn't it a Broadway play a couple years ago?"

"Indeed," Teal'c said. "The film includes five of the seven original actors. Doctor Fraiser advised me of its quality this afternoon."

"So," Jack began, "we're agreed?"

"Sure," Carter said. Daniel nodded. Teal'c quirked an eyebrow.

A broad grin blossomed on Jack's face as the elevator dinged and opened. "Great! See you all tomorrow. I'll be calling with the time."

Jack stepped into the elevator, and it closed on his pleased, smug smirk. Daniel realized they'd been had.


	2. No Day but Today

The lock clicked and then the front door opened to admit two sleepy men, the echoes of a car engine fading into the darkness behind them. 

"So, you going to crash here?" the man with the keys asked his companion.

"If you don't mind. 'Rent' kind of drained me," the younger man replied. "Some movie, huh, Jack?"

"Yeah," Jack agreed softly. "Can you imagine it live?"

"Must be something," Daniel said, yawning.

"Want a beer?" Jack questioned, heading into the kitchen.

"Nah," Daniel denied. "I'm just going to brush my teeth and stuff."

"You know where everything is," Jack called as Daniel disappeared into the hallway. Jack yawned, himself, even as he considered that beer. Then, he shrugged, and reached for the water instead.

A few minutes later, there was a tea kettle boiling. Daniel emerged from the bathroom, emotionally tired but physically wired. With a sigh, he considered his reflection in the hall mirror. Blue eyes, dark with fatigue and secrets, stared out from behind wire-framed glasses. For a moment, skin paled and hair bleached, and he saw a hungry, hopeful man in the mirror, standing in a backdrop of concrete and wood, and for that moment, he heard the strains of a guitar. Daniel shook his head in irritation. It was ridiculous, thinking of those characters as real people when they weren't—thinking of Mark's devotion and love and how Roger didn't even notice. Thinking of "no day but today".

Ah, but that's the point, isn't it, to get you to think, Daniel's traitorous mind rebuffed. Hope and love in the most unexpected of places. Never give up; live for the moment because the next you might be gone. Life is short: make the most of it.

As Daniel stared blankly at the mirror, he thought of his job. So much in common with that movie. True, nobody he knew had the death sentence of AIDS handing over their heads, but wasn't their job just as perilous, and in the end, deadly? How many souls walked through that Stargate and didn't come back? Daniel shuddered at the thought of how many times he'd died, and how many times Jack had died, and how many times they'd almost died. Daniel knew that their luck would run out eventually, and one day one of them would die and not miraculously come back. That knowledge scared him.

The kettle began to whistle, drawing Daniel out of his thoughts and into the kitchen.

"Tea?" Jack offered.

"Thanks." Daniel accepted the cup, inhaling the rich aroma of chamomile and mint. "I don't think I can sleep just yet."

"Me neither," Jack admitted.

Daniel took a sip of his tea, before making up his mind. He stood, ignored Jack's questioning, "Daniel?" and walked over to Jack's side of the table. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "No day but today, right?"

Jack opened his mouth to reply, but was abruptly cut off when Daniel's lips pressed against his. Daniel withdrew after only a moment. He didn't look at Jack, instead picking up his cup and taking it with him to the guest bedroom. Jack followed him. He watched Daniel, tense and expectant, set the still-steaming cup on the night table.

"The bed isn't made," Jack pointed out quietly, making Daniel freeze. "And I don't have any clean sheets." Which was a lie; Jack always kept a spare set in case anybody needed to sleep in his extra room—usually Daniel. "So why don't you," he cleared his throat, "sleep in my bed. With me. If you want to."

Daniel slowly straightened and turned, looking at Jack with blue, blue eyes. "Really?"

"No day but today," Jack quoted, cracking a smile. "Right?"

Daniel grinned back. "Right."


	3. Dear Mr Chris Columbus,

_Dear Mr. Chris Columbus,_

_I am writing you now to thank you for brining "Rent" to the silver screen. Besides being entertaining and emotional, it gave me the courage to do something I never thought I'd be able to do. As I probably would never have been able to get to New York to see it live—my job keeps me busy—your movie compelled me to take a step that has changed my life, I hope for the better._

_For the past couple of years, I've been in love with my coworker. I assumed he was straight, since he had been married once before. I guess he assumed the same about me; anyway, as it stands, I won't tell you my coworker's name, since in our line of work our relationship is frowned upon._

_We went out one night with some of our mutual friends and decided to watch a movie. One of our group suggested "Rent," and since we didn't have any reason to say no, we bought the tickets and sat down for—well, I'm not quite sure what I was expecting, but I was blown away. The characters were so believable and real, and their lives so visceral, that I was able to identify a little bit with all of them. Angel and Mark, I have to say, were my favorite characters, because she had hope in a hopeless situation and he was so alone even when surrounded by people. I've felt both._

_Our friends drove home, and my coworker drove me over to his house where I'd left my car. After watching "Rent," I was so emotionally drained I didn't feel up to driving home, so I decided to crash at my coworker's: something we do often._

_But then I looked in the mirror, and all I could think about was "no day but today." All I could think about was Angel, living and loving as much as she could before AIDS ripped her away from the one person she loved most; and Mark, how much he loved Roger, what he'd given up and would give up for his friend, and how completely isolated he seemed. And I didn't want to be Mark. I wanted to have a little of Angel's courage._

_So I went into the kitchen and kissed my coworker._

_No day but today, right?_

_He kissed me back._

_So, I want to say again, thank you, thank you a thousand thousand times. I don't think I would have had the courage to do it without "Rent," without Mark and Angel. If Mr. Larson were alive, I'd—I don't know, but I'd do something. As it stands, I give you my gratitude for what you've done: continuing the legacy and ensuring it survives to give others courage and inspiration._

_Most Sincerely,_

_Daniel_

Daniel's mouse lingered over the 'send' icon before he pressed it. The e-mail disappeared from his browser, replaced by the first message from his inbox. He only startled a little when Jack wrapped his arms around Daniel's shoulders. Daniel smiled. It was amazing how easy the change from best friends to lovers had been, as if they'd always been a couple but only just realized it. The archeologist rolled his eyes internally; according to the rumor mill on the base, they'd been fucking for over a year now. He wished.

"So, what was that?" Jack asked, resting his chin on Daniel's head.

"A letter to Mr. Columbus," Daniel replied. He imagined Jack's confused face, and added, "The director of 'Rent.'"

"Ah," Jack murmured. "What did you say?"

"Thank you," Daniel said simply. "Thank you for giving me the courage to kiss my coworker."

"You didn't mention said coworker's name, did you?" Jack inquired casually, even as his arms tightened.

"No, you were just 'my coworker'." Daniel assured him.

"Good. Now, since you've written your thank-you note to whoever, can we have sex?" Jack asked plaintively.

Daniel laughed. "Sure."


End file.
